On Saturday, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Robbie Anderson made a cryptic, eye-opening tweet.
The 29-year-old posted on Twitter, “Ain’t gone lie Thinking bout Retiring…”
Anderson has since deleted the tweet.
robby anderson deleted this already…#panthers mandatory minicamp is next week pic.twitter.com/koAykaZyXi
— Zach Aldridge (@wzaldridge) June 11, 2022
Editor’s Note: Anderson’s first name has been listed as “Robby” throughout his NFL career, but he chooses to go by “Robbie” on his social media accounts.
It’s possible Anderson wasn’t serious. It’s possible he just had a moment of frustration. But it’s certainly noteworthy.
Anderson caught 53 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns for the Panthers in 2021. That was with Sam Darnold playing 12 games at quarterback after Darnold was also Anderson’s quarterback with the New York Jets in 2018-19. Anderson signed a two-year contract with the Panthers as a free agent ahead of the 2020 season, and then signed a two-year, $29.5 million contract extension with Carolina ahead of the 2021 season.
With Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback for Carolina in 2020, Anderson had much better numbers: 95 receptions (career-high) for 1,096 yards (career-high) and three touchdowns.
It appears that Darnold will be the Panthers’ starting quarterback again in 2022, with Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral — selected by Carolina in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft — also in the mix.
And there have been Baker Mayfield rumors all offseason. However, Anderson has made it clear that he wouldn’t be a fan of Mayfield being Carolina’s quarterback.
D.J. Moore has turned into the clear No. 1 wide receiver for the Panthers, with Terrace Marshall Jr. expected to see a growing role in his second NFL season.
Most of the reaction to Robbie Anderson’s tweet relates to the quarterbacking woes of Darnold.
Robby Anderson is realizing that playing with Sam Darnold for another year may very well physically and mentally shatter him, and I sympathize with the man. pic.twitter.com/2KQ1EmRak4
— Vishnu Srinivas (@VishnuTreasurer) June 11, 2022
Read: Robby Anderson would rather quit professional football than play another snap with Sam Darnold https://t.co/2KT4mtdLz1
— Sam Wagman (@swagman95) June 11, 2022
Sam Darnold finding out he's trending because Robbie Anderson said he's thinking about retiring… pic.twitter.com/hWUFMcwDcG
— Zachary Krueger (@ZK_FFB) June 11, 2022
Can only play with Darnold on so many teams https://t.co/0QqckVxzYt
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@SpielbergerBrad) June 11, 2022
Is this a sign a Baker trade to Carolina is close? https://t.co/6FEmFIIpIS
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) June 11, 2022
